Return to Termina
by RyoKushei
Summary: Link has struggled to get over the horrors of he faced in Termina for seven years, swearing to himself that he'd never set foot there ever again. Of course the appearance of an old friend brings back the ghosts from his past, and of course once more he has no choice but to save the land he forever swore to abandon. Post-Majora's Mask. Heavy ZeLink. Rated T for action and some gore.
1. Prologue

_You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?_

 _I'm still counting on you._

 _Please get my mask back._

 _You have to. I believe in you._

 _Get my mask,_

 _And, while you're at it..._

 _it probably wouldn't hurt to save them, too._

* * *

Termina had forever changed Link's concept of time.

He had always understood time was fleeting, but he never grasped the concept of how little of it he actually had. Looking back, he was able to learn that three days was _way_ too little time to save the world.

Those three days were also three days he also hadn't actually had. And for as little time as he knew he possessed, it felt so much longer.

How many times had he played the Ocarina? How many times had he sworn to himself that _this_ would be the last time, that he would save the world _this_ time?

How many times had the clock struck midnight and realized that so many people were going to die, and then wake up the next morning completely unaware of the events of the past three days?

Seven years had passed since he left. And yet he still felt trapped inside that endless three-day cycle. Sometimes, on the night of what would have been the third day, he would hear the clock strike twelve times, and his heart would pound, his palms sweat profusely from the realization that he didn't have the ocarina, that they were going to die again, and he couldn't do anything.

Knowing that it was all over didn't make it any less real. Because to Link, it still was.

He swore to himself he would never go back. He made a vow that never in a million years would he ever set so much as one foot in that cursed land, as it was much too painful a reminder of what he had to go through. No, what he had to be. A savior.

After the sixth year, he thought maybe he had escaped. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to finally put the whole thing behind him, and move on.

And then _he_ showed up.

It was two days ago. A normal day, for the most part. He woke up, put on some light clothes, and went outside to do some chores. Nothing terribly hard or anything, just feeding the horses and replacing the hay for the cows. Ever since he became a ranch hand for Talon at Lon Lon Ranch, everything more or less was peace and quiet. Princess Zelda had offered him several times a position as a knight. Every time he declined. He didn't want to fight anymore.

He didn't want to a Hero. Not anymore.

He'd lived the quiet life of a rancher for nearly seven years, and then two days ago, Talon asked him to get the mail. Link didn't argue. He saddled Epona and rode into Castle Town, to the post office. It was fairly new, only a couple years old, but Talon hadn't hesitated to open a P.O. box there. Link grabbed Talon's letters, and turned to leave.

And _he_ was standing right there.

Everything turned to slow motion. Link gasped, and felt his breathing get heavy. His heart started pounding, his body sweating all over. The red eyes, the purple hair, the long sleeved shirt with purple trim at the cuffs...

Link almost didn't recognize him. He hadn't seen him for seven years, and both of them had been children. Well, really only Link had been a kid, but that's beside the point. But nobody had that long, purple hair. Nobody except for one person.

"K-Kafei..." Link sputtered. He was getting dizzy. He barely noticed Kafei rush to his side, to catch his fall as he toppled to his knees. He put his head in his hands. The voices started to come back.

 _No, no. This can't be happening,_ he thought. But it _was_ happening. He couldn't make the memories stop.

 _You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you? If it's something that can be stopped, then just try and stop it! You don't have any more masks. I... WILL... CONSUME... EVERYTHING... Let's play a different game. I must leave in three days. Yes, let's play that one. Even if they were to come, they couldn't stop me as I am right now! Do you want to play with me? He served his purpose, but he is useless to me now. You did get it back... Didn't you? Let's play good guys and bad guys. You don't understand, it's an evil mask of unspeakable power! CONSUME! Get me back the thing stolen from you, and I can return you to your real form._

 _Youre the bad guy. And when you're the bad guy, you just run._

Link screamed. The postman panicked and jumped under the counter, and Kafei grimaced but continued to support Link. Even after his shrieks stopped, Link didn't stop sobbing for a good five minutes. It was too much for him to bear.

"Link, I'm sorry. I know it's short notice and obviously painful. I really, really hate asking you for your help, especially after all the suffering you went through. But..." Kafei trailed off. Link wiped his eyes and looked at him.

"I- I'm fine. What's going on? Why are you here?" he asked, his voice still somewhat shaky.

"Termina's in trouble. I can't explain it, and nobody believes me, either. But something is wrong, Link," Kafei's voice was urgent. "Even Anju doesn't believe me. I know it's been seven years, but, for my sake, for Anju's sake, please come with me."

Link knew he had to say yes. As a hero who saved Termina once before, he knew he was obligated by position to do it again. And he cared about the people who lived there, as well. But he couldn't go back. It was too painful, too horrific of a place to ever go back. And yet, there was no way possibility that he could've said no. Especially since he owed Kafei a favor.

So of course he told Kafei that he would go back with him.

"Good! Then we've no time to lose. Follow me," said Kafei as he took off out of the post office. Link sighed and ran after him, feeling no less shaken up than when Kafei found him.

After they made it back to the town square, Link stopped.

"Kafei, wait," he said. "How are we even going to get into Termina? I just stumbled into it seven years ago. It shouldn't even be possible to go back, should it?"

"There is a way," Kafei replied. "It's not very well known, which is why neither world knows about the other's existence, but it is there. Now are you coming?"

Link shook his head. "Not yet, at least. I'm not going alone, this time," he said firmly.

"Well, of course you're not! I'm with you!"

"Not what I mean. I mean that I want someone else from Hyrule to learn about Termina, if I have to go back."

"Who do you have in mind?"

Link took a deep breath before saying, "Princess Zelda. She deserves to know about your land. And, if I'm right, she can help."

* * *

 _So there you have it. Quick word: this is a side project. I'm not going to update it regularly, just when I am bored writing about Twilight Princess and can't think of anything good to write._

 _But, I will finish it. So, yeah. Um, I'm just going to go now, so... Until next time! Ryo, out!_


	2. Chapter 1

_Okay, so, change of plans. Given the amount of positive feedback I got from the prologue of this story, I've decided I am actually going to update this a little more regularly (although for those of you who follow me, my story updates are always slow, so…). That said, this story isn't really a side project anymore. I guess that makes it one of my main fics? Maybe?_ _Oh, I should shut up. After all, I have a story to tell._

* * *

"Link, why all the secrecy? And who _is_ that, anyway?"

Link hated being dishonest with Zelda, but it was necessary. There was absolutely no way she'd believe him if he told her the truth up front. So when he asked her to follow him and Kafei, she didn't hesitate, but began to be suspicious of Link's motives. Which Link hated. A lot.

Of course, if it were up to him, which it wasn't, he wouldn't even be following Kafei himself. But no. The goddesses had to go and make him the Hero of Time, and Navi had to go and run away, and he had to go and save Kafei's life, and now he was going back to a place that made his blood run cold and his heart ache. And he was dragging Zelda along with him. Great.

This day was just getting better and better.

"This is Kafei," Link told Zelda with as much patience as he could muster, though at this point it was wearing thin. "He's an old friend of mine, from seven years ago. I kind of saved his life. And his wife's, too."

 _Please, please, please don't ask where he's from. Don't make me tell you where this is going. Just five more minutes, and we'll be there,_ he thought. They were already deep into the Lost Woods, and any minute would emerge into Termina's Lost Woods parallel, the Woods of Mystery. If she could make it that long without-

"He doesn't look like he's from Hyrule, Link. Where are we going?"

Of course. She had to ask.

Any trace of Link's dignity and patience completely vanished in that moment. He screamed, howled, stomped his feet, and pretty much acted like a two year old having a temper tantrum. Did he care? No. Did it bother him that he was acting like a toddler in front of the Princess of Hyrule? Nope. And did it scare that if Zelda let anyone know that this is how the Hero of Time acted in his free time, his reputation would crumble to ashes? Not in the least.

He told Kafei, who, poor boy, had a confused and slightly shocked expression on his face, to go on ahead. Kafei spurred his horse and galloped into the woods, leaving Link satisfied. Then he turned to Zelda, who just looked numb.

"Link… I'm- I'm _mortified_!"

"Okay, fine! You want the truth? Here it is: we're going to a cursed land that _just_ _happens_ to be Hyrule's parallel world and I saved from certain destruction seven years ago. Apparently it's in danger. I didn't have a choice but to go, and I'm sorry you have to come with me. But there's really no other option," Link complained, nearly out of breath from his rant. He gasped, "and by the way, it's called Termina. Kafei is from Termina."

"And you had to embarrass yourself, and me, in front of your friend, because you don't want to do something that you feel obligated to?"

"Wow, Zelda. With that kind of talk, you could be a psychiatrist!" said Link, in the most obnoxiously sarcastic way he could manage. Zelda couldn't understand why he didn't want to go back. She'd never get that every day he had to repeat, he had to constantly make the hardest decisions over and over and over and over again until finally he felt trapped in a seemingly infinite cycle of endless days, in which people cheated, lied to, hurt, stole from, argued with, and even murdered each other over a petty squabble about whether or not the moon would fall in three days, two days, one day. And only Link knew that their argument wasn't really petty at all. He also knew that the only thing he could do to change the outcome was to perpetually repeat the process for so long.

And then, just like that, it was all over. And did he get any recognition for any of the excruciatingly painful and hard work he did?

Not until the people of Termina actually needed him again to do more of said work.

Yes, it felt great to be a hero.

"Link," said Zelda, "I can understand why you're upset-"

"Oh, save it, Zelda! Nobody can even come _close_ to understanding what I had to go through. Not even you. While I was out busting my butt to save some world nobody from our land knew existed, you were doing what?" Link pretended to be hard in thought as he tapped his pointer finger to his right temple. "Oh, that's right! Sitting on a throne for seven years, living in absolute luxury, not needing to so much as lift a finger to do ANYTHING AT ALL!"

"And I was _still_ as miserable as you claim to have been," Zelda snapped back. Link looked at her in defiance and crossed his arms.

"Oh yeah?" he said. "How?"

"Because you were gone! You don't know how long three days can feel like when you're waiting for something to end. It felt like an eternity, waiting for you to come home," Zelda said with tears forming in her eyes. Link did not mention to her that yes, he did in fact know how long three days can feel. He knew better than anybody. Still, it felt sort of nice to know that Zelda did care about him. Sort of.

"Each night, even after you came home, I'd just lay there in my enormous bed, with my cotton sheets and down mattress, and my feather pillows, and every other luxury available to me, and none of it felt good as long as I didn't know how you were doing. And then I'd see you the next day, and you would seem so distant, and the cycle would just start anew. All the time I just wanted to reach out to you, to help, but after you came back..." Tears now streamed down her face. And Link still didn't care. "You never came to see me, never talked to me, always seemed off in your own little world. And I _hated_ that. Link, we were friends since childhood, and suddenly my closest friend seemed to be more of my worst enemy."

"Zelda, you don't have a clue what it was like."

"And I never could, because you'd never open yourself up!" Zelda cried. Her sobs really began to make Link start to feel bad, but he still kept a stern, angry expression on his face. She was wrong, and he was right. He was right. Wasn't he?

"Link, I remember," said Zelda, very quietly. Link looked at her. She dismounted her horse and sat down on the ground.

"I remember," Zelda continued, "the other seven years. The seven years where Ganondorf seized the Triforce and destroyed everything we knew and loved. And all that time, neither one of us ever stopped fighting him. What did you fight for?"

Link fumbled for words. What had he fought for? And how did she remember that time? He dismounted Epona and sat down next to her.

"I like to believe you fought for me, the way I hope I fought for you," she told him. "But now I don't know where we are, both now physically as we're lost in a forest and emotionally as our relationship is crumbling. Link, I want to be your friend. Honestly, I hoped you would be more than just my friend, but that won't ever happen if you don't learn to open up. Whatever you're going through, I want to go through with you. Whatever you're fighting, I want to fight it alongside you. And whenever you're alone, lost, and scared, I want to be with you. Can we try that?"

Link was silent for a long time. He finally said, "Okay, I guess we can try being friends. From now on, I'll be more honest with you. And we'll do everything together in Termina, as partners. But it's not going to be easy, by any means. Are you ready?"

Zelda nodded and grinned, drying her tears, and she said, "Absolutely, partner."

And together, they walked into the forest, their horses following them close behind.

Zelda said, "I'm glad you're back, Link."

"It's good to be back," he replied.


	3. Chapter 2

_Right, so, I feel that this story is going in a better direction than my other fics. So, I'm bumping it up to one of my main stories, along with Two Sides of the Same Coin. So expect updates to this even more regularly. Isn't it funny how plans change so quickly?_

 _One more thing: some of the backstory comes from the Majora's Mask manga, so if you don't recognize some of the names, that's why._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda. Or Link. Or Kafei. Well, I mean I do own a copy of Majora's Mask... oh, you know what? I don't own the franchise. There. I said it._

* * *

Link hit the ground with a thud. His head throbbed, and he gently rubbed the spot of contact. Wincing, he slowly stood up. He still was slightly upset about his falling out with Zelda. He still was adamant that he was right, but he did feel like doing what Zelda asked him was the right thing to do.

Sometimes, he really hated doing the right thing.

Just getting to his feet, he found himself quickly on the ground again, another, much larger pain hitting him, this time all over his body. Link grimaced. Everything hurt. He opened his eyes, finding the source of the pain.

Zelda sat up, rubbing her own head. "That was..." she started, "quite the fall."

Zelda had landed on top of him.

Link swore to himself. It wasn't fair that he had to save Termina, take the Princess of Hyrule with him, agree to do what she said for the billionth time, and now fall out of a tree to immediately have her fall on him. _She_ didn't even have to hit the ground! It wasn't fair. It just _wasn't fair_.

Link realized he wasn't giving Zelda enough credit. She wasn't a bad person. She was his closest friend, or had been, at least. He liked Zelda. He just felt like he always got the raw end of the deal in every situation while she got off easy. Like falling out of a tree.

He simply told her, "We should get moving. We're in a place called the Woods of Mystery. It's like Termina's equivalent to the Lost Woods. If you get lost, you return to the entrance of the woods." He paused, and blushed. "I, uh, don't remember the way," he said, extremely embarrassed. Zelda just smiled and suggested maybe just taking some random pathway. It would take them back to the entrance. Link shamefully wondered why he hadn't thought of that.

They walked out of the mystical woods and into the Woodfall Southern Swamp. Link inhaled a deep breath, the cool, crisp air bringing a sweet smell to his nostrils. Nothing like the Southern Swamp he knew, where the pungent stench of poisoned water and dying plants plagued the air for so long.

It was slightly refreshing, but Link knew that even if someone put rouge on a Dodongo, it was still a Dodongo.

"This is a swamp?" Zelda asked. "The air is so clean! It's not muggy or nasty like the swamps I know."

Link bit his tongue, refusing to tell her about what the swamp used to be like. It wouldn't accomplish a whole lot if they got into another fight two minutes after they just finished one.

"Not much to see here," he said instead, "unless you want to take a boat ride or submit some pictures for a contest at the tourist center. We need to make our way to Clock Town."

"What's Clock Town?" Zelda asked, to which Link just rolled his eyes. "What?" she exclaimed. "Is there anything wrong with asking questions?"

"You know, the nice thing about traveling alone is that I never had to deal with the incompetence of my traveling companions," Link spat.

"I thought we agreed to do this as partners!"

"Just because we're partners doesn't mean that we have to be friends."

Zelda just stared at him. "Fine. I'll stop talking," she said, crossing her arms.

" _Thank_ you!" said Link as he walked north into Termina field. He thought about his little squabble just then. Zelda hadn't done anything wrong. He was just being a stick in the mud. But he couldn't help it! After all, he didn't want to be here. It was too painful. The fact that he was even her to begin with was impressive. Couldn't she see that?

"You do realize you're the one who came to me, right?" she said.

Apparently not.

"Yes, I realize that," Link sighed, slowing his pace. "It's just, nobody can ever really understand the pain, the torment, the aggravation, and the heartbreak this place brought me. Nobody cares to understand."

Zelda stopped, sat down in the grass, and patted the dirt next to her. "Sit," she said. Link sat.

"Tell me," she told him, staring intently at him.

"Tell you what?"

"Everything. About this place and what you had to go through."

"I told you, nobody cares to know."

"Don't you get it? _I_ care! Your pain is my pain, remember? We're in this together. And if you have to bear your pain of the past alone, you're never going to be able to do what you came here to do."

"And what's that?"

"Be a savior," Zelda said, putting her hand on Link's. "I don't believe it's an accident that you were called back here a second time, wherever 'here' is. Pouting like a child isn't going to change that, as much as you want it to."

Link pondered her words. He thought about how he'd been acting lately. Zelda cared about him, and he had treated her like trash because he knew she cared. He didn't want her sympathy, and so he pushed her away for seven years. He had been distant, and his past in Termina wasn't an excuse for that. He hadn't wanted to admit his wrongdoing, and so he blamed everyone else. And the whole time people shouted his name in the streets and sang his praises in the villages, claiming him to be a hero. Maybe Zelda was right.

Maybe being a hero was more than just saving people.

Link pressed the top of Zelda's hand against his lips. "Thank you, m'lady," he said. Zelda's cheeks turned bright red, but she did not pull her hand away.

"You're welcome," she said. They sat there for a while in silence before Zelda pointed out, "You still haven't told me about your experience in Termina seven years ago." Link winced. That was still a painful subject, and Zelda must've noticed his reaction.

"If you don't want to share yet, I understand. I won't press," she told him quietly. He shook his head.

"It's fine," he said. "It's probably about time I got it off my chest."

He told her about the start of it all: how Navi had left him at the Temple of Time, and after he told Zelda about Ganondorf's potential uprising, set off to find her. He told her how he met Lord Taburi, delegate to the distant land of Grimea, and how the Lord told him to seek out Castle Osun and the Knights there, and Link explained that was why he needed the Ocarina of Time again. He needed proof that he was a representative of the Royal Family, otherwise Osun and his knights would have dismissed him as just a boy.

Osun and his Knights accepted him and trained with him for two weeks. Link recalled that even as a young boy, he was easily able to best all of Osun's chief Knights and even Osun himself. Osun gave him a parting gift: he re-tempered Link's Kokiri sword, making it stronger and gave him a new shield.

Link left Castle Osun and ventured into the woods.

That's when everything went wrong. The woods.

* * *

 _"Ok, Epona," Link said, "ready to go?" The auburn philly just whinnied and snorted, and nudged Link's hand softly. Link mounted her with a grunt, and lightly slapped her flank, bidding her to proceed at a canter._

 _The trees covered the entire forest. Link couldn't even see anything past the miles and miles of bark and branches. It was a kind of eerie setting. Link frowned. It was odd that he grew up in a forest, and yet felt threatened by this one._

 _Then again, this was a much different forest._

 _Epona trotted along the path, bobbing Link up and down on her back. It had been so long since Link rode her. Technically, he never had actually even climbed atop her back before._

But, _he thought,_ nothing is technical when you're the Hero of Time. _He kept riding, thinking about Navi. Where had she gone? Why had she left? How far away was she?_

 _Would he ever find her?_

 _He heard rustling in the bushes beside him. Epona heard it too, judging from the way she shuddered and whinnied again. She uneasily made her way forward as Link put his hand on his sword. Something was out there. Was it a bear? Was it a wolfos? Was it a moblin?_

 _Or could it be Navi?_

 _Link jumped off Epona's back and drew his sword, his hand shaking from fear. He was nervous, but not nearly as much as he was curious. He hated not knowing things, and loved figuring things out. It made it really nice when he was crawling through temples, solving all those blasted puzzles._

 _He pointed his sword toward the bush in front of him. More rustling. He felt little beads of sweat on his forehead and his heart beat like a drum. What was that?_

 _The thing leaped out of the bush and hovered above Link. He dropped his sword. Two little balls of light with translucent wings floated to and fro in the air, making little tingly noises as they bounced around. One a light orange, the other a dark purple._

 _Fairies._

 _"Hey," Link said, reaching a finger out to them. "I know one who's like you guys. I'm looking for her, actually. Her name's Navi. Have you seen her?"_

 _The two fairies just floated there, giving no sort of response. If fairies had faces, Link figured they would have just looked at him the way a Lon Lon cow looked when it was chewing its grass._

 _"Well, thanks anyway," Link said, picking up his sword and remounting Epona. "It was nice meeting you guys."_

 _As Epona began to gallop off, the two fairies instantly rushed in front of her, flying around wildly._

 _Epona panicked. She reared_ _herself, throwing Link from her back. Link flew through the air, hitting the hard dirt with a resounding_ thud. _He didn't remember losing consciousness. Only what happened after._

* * *

Like always, Link didn't realize how much time had actually passed in Termina.

He was only just getting to the good part of his story when he noticed the setting sun, casting a lovely orange hue on the sky. He gulped. They needed to move. The night in this cursed place was not as beautiful as the sky.

"We need to get to Clock Town," he said urgently, standing up and helping Zelda to her feet as well. "Now."

"Why?"

"Just trust me. You do _not_ want to be out here after six p.m."

Zelda didn't argue. Link grabbed her wrist and sprinted through the field. The sun just set faster. _No,_ he thought. _Not now! Just wait a little longer. We can make it!_

The sun, contrary to Link's silent pleas, did not wait. Soon the entire field was engulfed in pure darkness.

Link heard the nightly wolfos' howl off in the distance. He began to panic. He ran faster, pulling Zelda along with him. They were almost to the gates. They could make it. They would make it.

They were twenty, fifteen, ten meters from the southern gate. Link began to breathe a sigh of relief. They were almost inside the town.

Zelda screamed behind him, and he turned around.

A wolf was chasing them.

Not a wolfos. A wolf. The biggest wolf Link had ever seen in his life.

The beast had a horrible gleam in its eyes, a look Link had only seen from one other creature: Ganon. It was the gleam of bloodlust, and when the gargantuan wolf bared its teeth, they matched the gleam exactly. There were mangled bits of flesh and blood on each razor-sharp cusp. Link could only hope they weren't human-related.

The beast growled before lifting its head and howling the nastiest howl Link had ever heard. Zelda's hand shook in terror. Link squeezed it tightly, hoping to offer some sort of relief to her.

The wolf seemed to smile as it slowly and menacingly made its way in front of Link. It snarled, and opened its mouth. Link thought the wolf was going to bite his head off.

Instead, it spoke to him in a voice deeper and more frightening than Ganondorf's.

"Well, well. The fairy child returns to this cursed land once more. What for, boy? What are you trying to accomplish?"

Link froze. He opened his mouth but no words came out.

"Are you mute, boy?" the wolf said, amused but impatient. "I asked you a question, and I demand an answer."

Link was barely able to squeak, "I don't know."

The wolf stared at him, studying him. "Hm," it said. "It appears that I am wasting my time. Oh well. I will be back in three days' time. I expect an answer to my question by then. I believe that is ample time for an intelligent boy like you to produce some answer for such a simple request."

"Wh- what if I'm not ready?" Link asked.

"Well, in that case, I will have to kill you. Don't be late." With that, the wolf turned around and ran back into the woods to the south.

Link turned to Zelda, and together, both feeling lucky to be alive, they walked into South Clock Town.


	4. Chapter 3

Link and Zelda said nothing as they walked through the dimly lit streets of Clock Town. Nothing they could have said to each other would have put their minds at ease, not with that _thing_ running around.

The Hero of Time shivered just thinking about it, the wolf. Was it a wolf? He had been sure that it was, but now he wondered if he had been right or delusional.

Whatever it was, Termina wasn't safe with it here.

Link heard Zelda's teeth chattering wildly. He glanced over at her. She was shivering, pulling her little shawl as tightly as she could over her shoulders. Link hadn't noticed how cold it was here. He had been too busy thinking about the wolf. He put his arm around her and pressed her cold body up against his.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Zelda nodded, thanking him. "Kafei's house is only about a minute away, in the laundry pool." They slowly made their way through South Clock Town, ignoring the sounds of nails being hammered into wood and foremen yelling back and forth at each other. As they scaled the shallow stairs that led to the laundry pool, Zelda's shivers slowed somewhat. Good, that meant she was warming up and that her health was one less thing Link had to worry about.

Link supposed as he and his friend progressed to Kafei and Anju's house that he shouldn't be so cynical, especially not about Zelda. He had to keep reminding himself that she didn't ask for this any more than he did.

Upon reaching the door, Link knocked softly on the hard wood. Zelda shivered again, and Link quietly shushed her. "Shhh," he cooed, "it's alright. Look, we're here." The door swung open almost immediately after Link finished his sentence. Kafei hurried the pair inside, asking Link if the Princess was alright.

"Yes," said Link. "She's fine. She's just not used to the air here." Zelda nodded in agreement, teeth still chattering. Link followed Kafei into what he assumed was the living room, and sat Zelda down on the couch. A fire burned in the corner fireplace, which appeared to be helping Zelda significantly, even in the first few seconds they sat down. Link looked around. Several more rooms had been built into the house than Link remembered, including a kitchen and what appeared to be two bedrooms.

"I don't remember your house being this big, Kafei," Link noted.

Kafei chuckled, and said, "Yes, well, the Curiosity Shop went out of business a few years ago after some charges of illegal exchange of goods. The owner, being a friend of mine, gave me the deed and I proceeded to combine my house with the shop and turn it into a little more of a home than it ever had been before. What do you think?"

"I like it," Link said flatly. He really did like the house, he was just too shaken up to really say anything else about it. He decided to change the subject. "Where's Anju?"

"She's here, in the kitchen, making supper. Have you eaten anything?"

Link and Zelda shook their heads, and Kafei said, "Perfect. We'll eat, and then you two can get some rest. We'll talk again in the morning."

"Thank you for your kindness, Kafei," Zelda said.

Kafei nodded and said, "Of course. Anything for a friend of Link's." He ran his hand through his purple hair and said, "Let's eat." The three walked into the kitchen, where Anju was standing over a pot of what Link assumed was some sort of soup. Upon seeing Link, she dropped her ladle and threw her hands around him.

"Link! It's wonderful to see you!" She said, planting a kiss on his cheek. "I didn't believe Kafei would actually convince you to come. How are you?"

"Tired, and hungry," he replied with a smile. Anju laughed, and returned to her concoction.

"That, I can remedy," she said, gesturing to the kitchen table. "Please, sit. The soup's ready."

Link, Zelda, and Kafei each took a seat at the small square table, where Anju hastily put down bowls and spoons for them. Without skipping a beat, she poured a generous amount of the delicious smelling mixture into each of their bowls before sitting down herself. Link ate like a dog, quickly scarfing down his soup. It was possibly the best soup he'd ever tasted in his whole life. When he told Anju as much, she blushed and said, "It's my grandmother's recipe."

"How is she doing, by the way?" Link inquired between mouthfuls.

"Well, medically speaking the doctors say she's fine. But she's lost almost all of her memory, and frankly it's hard for me to watch," Anju replied grimly.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Link said.

"Don't be, please. I've come to grips with it. She's getting old. It's part of life." Turning to Zelda, she said, "Now, I don't believe we've met. My name is Anju, and I'd imagine you've already met my husband Kafei."

Zelda nodded, and said, "Pleased to meet you. My name is Zelda. I'm a friend of Link's."

"Judging from the way you two came into our house I'd venture to say you're more than that," Kafei chuckled. Link and Zelda exchanged a glance at each other, each blushing heavily.

"No, we're not anything more than that," Link said. "We're just friends." Zelda looked slightly offended by that remark, but she'd have to deal with it.

Anju quickly changed the subject. " _So_ ," she said, "how's it feel to be back here in Termina?"

She had to ask.

Link really didn't want to lie to Anju or Kafei. Sure, he could tell them how he felt about this whole journey. Part of him wanted to, so badly. It wasn't fair to them for him to keep secrets from them, not after all the kindness they were showing him. They deserved better.

But the other part of him knew that they didn't need to feel sorry for him. Plus, it would probably be just plain rude.

He did the sensible thing to do. He lied.

"It's not bad. I missed this place." What was he talking about? He dreaded coming back here so badly. Then again, what was he supposed to tell them? That he resented being here and that he didn't really care about what happened to it, or its people? Not exactly the most heroic approach.

"It was certainly strange without you here, to say the least," Anju continued. "Even though you were only here for three days it felt so much longer than that." Link had to bite his lips to stop himself from saying that it was so much longer than that. Instead he just nodded and kept eating his meal.

Within no time his bowl was empty, as was Zelda's. Neither one was in much of a mood for any more conversation, and so Link politely asked Kafei what the sleeping arrangements were like.

"Well, there is only one bed in the guest room, so unless you're willing to share-"

"Not going to happen." Link interjected. The moment he said it he knew it was a stupid comment to make, at least the way he phrased it. Zelda's cheeks turned bright red, and Link could tell she was trying not to laugh as she attempted in vain not to smile. Link felt mortified, but Kafei just laughed.

"Very well, then. Link, you can sleep on the couch in the living room, and her highness can sleep in the guest room." Link and Zelda each nodded, both agreeable to this. As long as Link got some alone time he was fine. He would be ready to communicate with people again in the morning.

* * *

It was midnight, and Link still couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned on the couch, trying to get comfortable, trying to at least shut his eyes, but he couldn't. He couldn't stop thinking about the Wolf.

The Wolf had given him three days to formulate an answer to its question. Three. Of all the numbers in the world, this mangy mutt had to pick three. The goddesses had a real sense of humor.

And then there was Zelda. What was she going to think of all this? When he brought her, he didn't think he was going to really endanger her. But with this Wolf running around, nobody was safe. Especially not the Princess of Hyrule. Link felt awful, knowing that Zelda's fate was resting in his hands, and knowing that he had put her in grave danger.

He gave up trying to sleep. He needed to clear his head. As quietly as he could, Link snuck out of the house and made his way to the edge of the laundry pool.

Link remembered that seven years ago, a wandering musician by the name of Guru Guru had played a sad, monotonous melody on a music box at this very spot every night. The musician was no longer here, but Link could still hear the droning notes of the somber tune drifting through the air, even if it was only in his head. He sat down on the same box where the depressed instrumentalist would ring his tale of woe into the night sky, and as the notes continued to swirl around in his brain, he closed his eyes and began to whistle it. It brought him momentary peace, whistling such a complicatedly simple melody. For a moment he forgot his troubles; there was only the music. It felt good.

It felt so good that he didn't notice Zelda sit down next to him. "Such a pretty song," she mused. "What's it called?"

"The Song of Storms," Link said softly, peacefully. "It was written by the composer brothers Sharp and Flat. They served the Royal Family of Ikana in this world much like they served the Royal Family of Hyrule in ours."

Zelda shook her head. "So much to think about," she told him, resting her head on his shoulder. "A parallel world, who would have even guessed?"

Link shrugged. "What brought you out here, anyway?" he asked her. She yawned, stretched her arms a little bit, and sighed. Link had to admit, she was cute when she did that.

"I heard you get up, and I followed you," she replied. "I can't sleep very well."

"Me neither."

They both just kind of sat there, watching the stars and listening to the gentle rushing of the water in the pool. Neither one of them said anything for a long while, until Zelda pointed out, "You never got to finish your story earlier."

"I'm not really in the mood to tell it right now."

"I understand. It was a really intriguing story, though. Promise me you'll finish it sometime?"

Link sighed and told her, "I'm not totally sure I'm through writing it yet, to be honest." Silence again.

"Well," Zelda spoke up again, "between you and me, I'm glad I get to be a part of it." Link chuckled, and he smiled sweetly at Zelda, telling her thanks.

His heart skipped a beat when she smiled back at him. What in Hylia's name was that about?

Zelda stretched again, and when she put her hand down it brushed up against Link's. The lighting was pretty bad, but Link was sure enough was visible that she could see his cheeks turn tomato red. His heart pounded. What was happening?!

He tried to say something, but he just weakly sputtered out something along the lines of, "Uh... Um... Uhh... Uh... Ummm..." Zelda chuckled and put one of her fingers to his lips, making his heart beat even faster. She quietly shushed him, and then took her finger away from Link's mouth, only to replace them with her own red lips. Link had never kissed a girl before in either of his seven years of life, and it felt good, to say the least.

He couldn't shake the feeling as they separated and Zelda shyly apologized to him that her lips felt perfect interlocked with his, almost like they were destined to fit there all along.

"Link," Zelda stuttered, "I- I'm sorry, I just... Well, I mean, i-it felt right, and so- I mean I just..." Now it was Link's turn to put his finger to her lips and shush her. And of course, the next thing he did was the only logical thing to do.

He kissed her again.

* * *

 _Well, I AM BACK! Took me long enough, right?_

 _I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, to you who either were waiting for it eagerly or forgot the story existed entirely (don't fret, I understand). Please don't forget to review this and my other stories, your support means so much. Also thanks to TheObssessedBookworm and Chameleon Eyes for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are the real MVP._

 _Until next time!_

 _~Ryo_


	5. Chapter 4

_I'll keep it short. This is a new chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited. I love you people._

 _Just so we're clear, I don't own Zelda._

* * *

Link had forgotten just how much there was to do in Clock Town. In fact, the town had seemed to have almost grown since he was last there.

As he and Zelda walked the streets together they found themselves avoiding everything from construction to people to small sharp objects sticking up from the ground and everything in between. Street vendors sold various foodstuffs from the recently-added marketplace in the South district, by the Clock Tower. The number of children in the North district had increased significantly with the expansion of the playground there. The shops in the Western district attracted more business than ever, it seemed, and the Eastern district, known for its many attractions, was more crowded than Link had ever seen it before. And he had seen it many times.

"It almost reminds you of Hyrule Castle Town," Zelda pointed out. Link had to agree, it kind of did. Only today, it was even busier than Castle Town.

The pair were dressed casually; Link wore a long-sleeved blue shirt with white trim at the cuffs while Zelda sported a nice white sundress with pink floral patterns adorning its surface. Link had left his cap back at the house and had tied the back of his long blonde hair into a ponytail. Zelda wore a white hairband, her hair completely pulled back, and carried with her a brown wicker basket as Anju had politely requested that the two of them go run a few errands for her while she tidied the house for them. Link had been hesitant to say yes, but finally, after a few brief scoldings from Zelda, he'd decided that it would be the right thing to do.

"What's first on the list?" he asked, glancing around at the many shops and buildings surrounding them.

With a brief glance at the small slip of paper Anju had handed her, Zelda said, "Groceries. Anju needs ingredients for supper for the next three days."

There it was again. Three days.

As he tossed the thought aside, Link said, "Well, I'm sure the marketplace has some fresh produce, and I hear there's a bakery in the Western part of town now. You take the vegetables, I'll get the bread. Let's meet back here, at the Clock Tower, in, say, twenty minutes?"

With a nod Zelda walked away, a slight bounce in her step, leaving Link standing there, slightly mesmerized by her movements. She really was a pretty girl. She deserved better than how Link had treated her the past few years.

Link mentally chided himself. Now was not the time to have an epiphany. Now was the time to get bread for Anju.

To make a long story short, he was able to get his bread with time to spare. He had delivered it to Anju and made it back to the Clock Tower five minutes before Zelda even paid for her side of the groceries. He had become rather skilled at making the most of the time he had. His three days in Termina seven years ago were both a blessing and a curse to him.

No, they were definitely just a curse.

As Zelda returned to him she asked him where the bread was, and she just rolled her eyes when Link proudly told her he had already given it to Anju. "This is why you're the Hero here," she chuckled.

Yeah. He was the hero. He didn't need to be reminded. Just the fact that he was here at all was proof of that. And as fate would have it, he had only three days to be that hero. Again.

He must have looked pretty glum at Zelda's remark, and after a moment she said, "Hey."

"Hey what?"

"I'm sorry, Link. I didn't mean... I was just trying to be funny. I didn't want to hurt you."

"No, I'm fine," he insisted.

"No, you're not. I know it hurts you. Stop trying to save face in front of me. We're in this together. I can't feel your pain with you if you won't admit to feeling it yourself."

"Look, Zelda, now's not really the place to be having this conversation."

"Then let's go somewhere else!" Zelda exclaimed. Link shrugged and nodded. They walked into the field together through the South Town Gate and sat down in the grass near the entrance to the town.

"Link, sooner or later you are going to have to accept that you can't escape this," Zelda told him, taking his hand. He instinctively jerked his hand away from her as if he had touched a hot stove, but after a moment of consideration he realized he had already shut her out enough.

He picked at the grass around him, avoiding eye contact with her. "I didn't ask for this, Zelda," he said solemnly. "Either time."

"Well, I didn't ask you to drag me along with you, and yet I'm here." She paused. "We both are."

Zelda was right. Link hated when she was right.

"Link, I'm worried about you. I don't like seeing you like this. Why do you put so much pressure on yourself? Eventually you're going to have to let go."

Link sighed. "I don't know," he said. He threw himself back carelessly into the grass. "I don't understand why of all the people that could be chosen to be a hero, the goddesses had to pick me." There was a long pause. Zelda didn't say anything for a while.

She grabbed his hand again, and this time he didn't pull away. "Look," she told him firmly, "I'm not saying it's going to be easy. But you bear the Triforce of Courage. Does that mean nothing to you?"

"How can I be the bearer of courage but harbor so much fear?" Link asked. Zelda laid on her back so that her head was right next to his. She looked at him, and he looked away.

"Courage isn't the absence of fear," she said, "as much as it is conquering what fear you have. Nobody is fearless. But few people can be courageous. You have to be." She paused. Gently she put her hand on his cheek, silently asking him to meet her face-to-face. "If not for Termina, then for me."

 _Easier said than done_ , Link thought. But he knew he needed to give her a chance. After all, he brought her to a strange land she didn't know filled with strange people she'd never met. He couldn't exactly leave her on her own.

So he decided he would be courageous. For her.

A new sense of determination filled his heart. He was, after all, the Hero of Time. He had saved this land before, he could, and would, do it again.

And then he remembered the Wolf's question.

The Wolf had asked what Link was trying to accomplish. He wasn't totally sure. He knew that he had to somehow "save Termina," according to Kafei, but what did that mean? Last time it was an evil mask summoning an evil moon. What was it this time? Was it the Wolf? Or was it something else, something bigger? Did Kafei even know about the wolf?

He decided the first thing he would try to figure out was why Kafei brought him here in the first place. Standing, he said to Zelda, "I need to talk to Kafei. Would you like to come?" She nodded, and he helped her to her feet. Together they walked back into the town.

* * *

Two hours later, Kafei had gotten them nowhere. After several minutes of silent thinking, he had simply told Link that all he knew was Termina was in trouble. He said again that he couldn't explain it, but he figured that if anyone could figure it out, it would be Link. When Link asked him about the Wolf, Kafei said he hadn't heard anything about a wolf.

"So basically you're asking me to find all the answers," Link had asked him, trying his best not to show his annoyance on his face.

"Well, yes. Link, I'm so sorry I don't know more, but-" Link held up his hand.

"It's fine. Really. I'm happy to help." With that, he and Zelda walked out of the house and back into the town square.

"What now?" Zelda asked him. Link sighed. He wondered the same thing. At this point in his previous adventures he might have asked Navi or Tatl for advice, but this time around Zelda was his companion, and she was even more clueless than he was.

"I have no idea," he finally said. "But I might know where to start looking."

"And where's that?"

"Let's try the Woodfall Temple. Maybe I can find a clue or something there."

"Great! Let's go!" Zelda said, then looked down at her dress. "That is, once I change into something a little more adventure-y."

* * *

"I still don't understand how a place this nice can be called a swamp," Zelda said as they paddled down the stream. Link chuckled. If only she knew...

"I guess over seven years the water cleared up a bit. Nowadays I bet you could even drink from this river," Link said, running his hand through the cool water. "Back when I was here the first time, you couldn't even put a finger in this water without feeling the sudden urge to throw up." Zelda laughed at this remark, and Link smiled. She was right, Southern Swamp did feel a lot less swamp-ish. Maybe it wasn't just lipstick on a Dodongo.

He looked down at their shoddy rental canoe from the Tourist Center. "This thing doesn't really look like it's in great condition," he said. It really didn't. Most of the slats holding it together looked like they were rotted and the nails were rusty. Zelda shrugged.

"They probably only use one boat," she replied. "I guess the most we can do is hope it doesn't break apart or something."

For a while they just paddled in silence, but eventually Zelda asked him if he was in the mood for his story yet. At first he was compelled to say no. But he knew that closing himself off to her for the billionth time wasn't going to accomplish anything. So he consented.

"After I regained consciousness, I found a Skull Kid rummaging through my stuff. He took the Ocarina. He played around with it for a while, but when he saw me all hell broke loose. I still remember it like it was yesterday..."

* * *

 _"Epona! Come back!" Link screamed. His stubby little legs wouldn't take him very far._ Stupid kid-running, _he thought. He was used to almost a full year of running with long adult legs but now that he was back to being a child, that evidently wasn't an option._

 _Epona did not come back. The Skull Kid and the fairies disappeared deeper into the forest. After what seemed like hours of chasing them, he finally found the Skull Kid in a small clearing. The light shone through the trees in such a way that it seemed to make a spotlight on the Skull Kid. He had on a really colorful, funky-looking mask that almost looked like a spiky heart with eyes._

 _"Your stupid pony was so disobedient," said Skull Kid. "I did you a favor. I got rid of it for you. Tee hee!" The inhuman giggle of the creature hurt Link's ears. What did he mean by "get rid of?" Link was horrified._

 _"Oh, you look upset. I don't like that face. I think you need a new one."_

 _Link's everything began to hurt. He screamed, but no sound would come out. Goddesses, the pain was indescribably unbearable! It hurt. It hurt. It hurt._

 _And then, just like that, it was over._

 _Then he saw the scrubs._

 _Giant deku scrubs. Surrounding him. Everywhere._

 _Link had never been afraid of deku scrubs. Sure, they were a pain in the butt, but they weren't scary. These ones were._

 _Link ran but went nowhere. He tripped. The scrubs kept coming toward him. They didn't look like they intended to stop._

 _Then there was only one. Ten times bigger than all the other ones, this one only had to take one step to catch up to Link. It inhaled, as if it was going to shoot a nut out of its snout. Link was sucked into it's mouth._

 _Darkness._

 _Then he heard the laughter of the skull kid. "That's better. I_ love _your new face! It really suits you. Tee hee!" Link noticed a puddle. He gazed into it, hoping to find a trace of his reflection._

 _When he saw it, he wished he hadn't looked.  
_

 _There had to have been a mistake. It was a dream. This was just a really bad dream. That's all it was. He was going to regain consciousness right now, and keep going through the forest until he reached wherever Navi was, and then it would all be over._

 _He would soon find out that he wasn't that lucky._

* * *

"The skull kid turned you into a deku scrub?!" Zelda asked, obviously shocked. Link nodded and chuckled.

"A lot more happened, too. After three days I found out the Skull Kid was causing trouble in Clock Town and was going to call down a moon to destroy the whole place. It was about to happen, too. But I got back the ocarina right before the moon landed on the clock tower. Somehow I played the Song of Time and managed to turn back time three days. A strange mask salesman told me to go to Woodfall. That's how I ended up here the first time."

"Wow," Zelda said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."

"It was frightening, to be honest. To be something I wasn't. I felt like I was in somebody else's skin." He paused and waved his hand to the giant wooden building in front of them. "But enough of that for now. We've arrived."

"It's huge," said Zelda flatly. Link agreed. It was huge.

He turned to the Princess. "Shall we?" he asked her. She nodded.

Together, they walked hand in hand into the temple.


End file.
